Posted on July 18, 2025 View all Gospel Reflection
What’s for dinner?
In both the first reading and in the Gospel we see a meal taking centerstage in what is going on. First we see Abraham being visited by the Lord and then in the Gospel we see Jesus waiting for dinner while Martha scrambles around trying to do it all herself and being upset that Mary is “not helping”.
First what is pretty striking in the reading from Genesis is that it says “The Lord appeared to Abraham” … “Looking up, Abraham saw three men standing by.” Then when Abraham addresses the Lord he says “Sir, if I may ask you this favor…” If you listen closely you can see that Abraham’s words switch readily between the singular and the plural. This is perhaps one of the earliest manifestations in the Bible of the truth of the Holy Trinity. Here was Abraham receiving the three persons of the Holy Trinity and extending a warm and generous welcome to them.
This welcome to a meal is very important, because in the culture of Abraham, to invite a person to a meal was to welcome them into a relationship with you; to welcome them into your family. Abraham welcomed the Holy Trinity into his family and in turn, one of the three said to him “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah will then have a son.” (Gen. 18:10) This foreshadowed the same action of the Holy Spirit coming down upon the Blessed Virgin Mary to conceive and bear Jesus Christ, the Messiah. The Lord works in marvelous and mysterious ways.
This promise to Abraham was to fulfil what the Lord had just told him a little while earlier when He said “No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I am making you the father to a multitude of nations.” (Gen. 17:5) Jesus, as the fulfillment of the promise of the Messiah, takes this covenant to its fullest completion. Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection is what makes it possible for us to be united into right relationship with God. It is for this reason that we are also commissioned to “Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matt. 28:19) In Baptism we all become incorporated into the body of Christ. We become his brothers and sisters.
In the Gospel we see how in Jesus there is a longing to be in relationship and communion with Martha and Mary. Mary is sitting at his feet listening to his words, but Martha is running around trying to take care of the meal. On the surface, it might seem unfair that Martha has to do all the hard work and get everything ready. It is also a little ironic that she felt that she had to do all this great amount of meal preparation for Jesus. After all Jesus had multiplied the bread and fish and was very capable of providing true sustenance to all.
St. John Bosco spoke to this issue when he encouraged “Do you want our Lord to give you many graces? Visit Him often. Do you want Him to give you few graces? Visit Him seldom. Visits to the Blessed Sacrament are powerful and indispensable means of overcoming the attacks of the devil. Make frequent visits to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and the devil will be powerless against you.”
This week I would encourage each of you to reflect on how do we listen and sit still in the presence of Our Lord. Do we welcome him into our hearts? Do we make a space for him in our homes and busy lives? Do we make this space so that He in turn can be the fount which allows us to have the strength and grace to endure the difficulties we encounter along the way? It is only through the power of Christ that we will be able to enter into the great banquet that the Lord is preparing for us in heaven.
